Albanians in Egypt

Albanians in Egypt
الألبان في مصر
Shqiptarët e Egjiptit
Total population
c. 18,000[1]
Languages
Albanian, Egyptian Arabic
Religion
Predominantly : Sunni Islam
Minority : Bektashi Order
Related ethnic groups
Albanians, Albanian diaspora

The Albanian community in Egypt began with government officials and military personnel appointed in Ottoman Egypt. A substantial community would grow up later by soldiers and mercenaries who settled in the second half of the 18th century and made a name for themselves in the Ottoman struggle to expel French troops in 1798–1801. Mehmet Ali or Muhammad Ali, an Albanian, would later found the Khedivate of Egypt which lasted there until 1952. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many other Albanians settled into Egypt for economical and political reasons. However, in later years the activities of the fedayeen, Muslim Brotherhood, as well as the greater Egyptian Revolution of 1952 resulted in the Albanian community in Egypt largely abandoning the country and emigrating to Western countries.

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